Buffalo Sabres: Is Ilya Lyubushkin ready to mentor a young group?
By Sion Fawkes
New Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin is the oldest member of a young rotation. Is he ready to mentor the group in 2022-23?
When you look at new Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin’s NHL experience, you may think that there is little deviation between himself and the likes of Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju. But when you add in Lyubushkin’s KHL experience, you get another story, and suddenly, you realize he is, by far, the most experienced defenseman on the roster.
Lyubushkin adds a fresh, hard-hitting presence for the Sabres. And it is a role you should expect him to thrive in once the regular season kicks off on October 13th. But Lyubushkin will have another role to slide into. One that will involve his guiding a young group of defenseman in the Queen City.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin will have a new task on his shoulders
Ilya Lyubushkin turned 28 in April, and since the Buffalo Sabres let Colin Miller, Will Butcher, and Mark Pysyk walk in free agency, Lyubushkin is both the oldest and most experienced blueliner on the main roster. Fortunately for Lyubushkin, he did join a talented rotation that possesses the likes of Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson.
But Lyubushkin also has something the aforementioned trio does not: Playoff experience. Playoff experience and experience playing for a team that was able to win consistently last season as he spent the final 31 games of the 2021-22 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He also spent the 2019-20 season with the Arizona Coyotes and helped them make the qualifying round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Though he doesn’t have the highest amount of playoff experience, he does know what it takes to forge late-season runs and to keep a cool head when doing so.